Hillbilly, I have been following your build since you started. It is truely a beautiful rig you have there! Glad everything is coming together for you so well! You and a few others here have equally amazing talent! I have learned so much from watching you guys sculpture these fine works of steel and smoke! Yours is right up there at the top with the best of them for sure! You should be very proud!!!

Hillbilly, I have been following your build since you started. It is truely a beautiful rig you have there! Glad everything is coming together for you so well! You and a few others here have equally amazing talent! I have learned so much from watching you guys sculpture these fine works of steel and smoke! Yours is right up there at the top with the best of them for sure! You should be very proud!!!

Thanks Jok3r, I just got done with the intake lever, works nice and smooth.
although the paint job sucks, lol. ran out of my regular and had to use a different type, its ok though once i get it all done ill repaint the whole thing.

Was gonna work on the cooker today but instead i decided to cook a few butts, a brisket and some bratwurst, drink a few beers and watch football today, _________________Patio Smoker GrillMy Smoker Grill build

Damn Hillbilly! Thats really nice!!! I really like the intake lever! Clever...
The whole thing is GREAT! I wanna build one. I have to save up for a welder though and all of the rest of the stuff. I am jealous Looking better every day! Keep them pics comin....

Looks great, how many hours do you have into this cooker? As soon as I post more pics of my build I look forward to your input. Keep up the good work.

Thank you, to be honest I've lost track, but I'm guessing around 80 to 100 hours of actual work time.
Think I'm gonna cut the tongue off and move it to the front of the frame, im not liking having those corners so close to the hitch._________________Patio Smoker GrillMy Smoker Grill build

Last edited by HillbillySmoker on Wed Sep 17 08 9:50 pm; edited 1 time in total

nice looking unit Hillbilly, can I ask you a couple questions since you seem knowledgeable on the smoker setups? If (you) were to build a smoker out of a 500 gal. LP tank, 37"dia X 10' long, what size fire box would (you) use? ( I'm thinking of a square one) How high from the bottom would (you) put the reverse flow plate in? Can one have the reverse flow plate to high in the cooking chamber ( like 4" from the cooking surface?) And were did you get that fire box door from? That looks sweet. Do you know were I can get on like that? I finally have the materials to build a reverse flow smoker and want to do it right the first time. One can never have to much information. Thanks in advance,

nice looking unit Hillbilly, can I ask you a couple questions since you seem knowledgeable on the smoker setups? If (you) were to build a smoker out of a 500 gal. LP tank, 37"dia X 10' long, what size fire box would (you) use? ( I'm thinking of a square one) How high from the bottom would (you) put the reverse flow plate in? Can one have the reverse flow plate to high in the cooking chamber ( like 4" from the cooking surface?) And were did you get that fire box door from? That looks sweet. Do you know were I can get on like that? I finally have the materials to build a reverse flow smoker and want to do it right the first time. One can never have to much information. Thanks in advance,

HeavyD

First you need to figure out what style of cooker you want before i can answer you questions, because the placement of the firebox will determine your size, as well as your hight on your reverse flow plates, if you put the firebox in the middle your basically building 2 cookers in one depending on if you partition the 2 sides or not. i got my door off the internet from an antique stove company in maine. so basically i would say draw up a picture of the style of cooker you want with as much information as you can think of and post a pic of it so others can see what it is you want and can help you._________________Patio Smoker GrillMy Smoker Grill build

Hillbilly, your cooker is looking real nice. Looks great with the vertical sitting on there. Did you notice any change in the way it cooked?

KAM, You and the family ok? did you get any damage?

Ty KAM, i havnt used the upright yet i still have a few pieces of metal to put in the bottom to cover some holes, i blocked it off for that cook._________________Patio Smoker GrillMy Smoker Grill build

Hi Hillbilly, I want to build one like a Lang or Meadowcreek. I guess you call it the offset reverse flow? The firebox will be on the end. I was thinking of around a 32x32x36 (length) firebox, but the way I was figuring, the reverse flow plate would be nearly 12" from the bottom. That leaves approx. 6" to the center of the tank, ( cooking surface ) I was wondering if that is to close?

To be honest with yah HeavyD, that formula used for calculating the sizes, is not an exact science, it was made using common knowledge from previous builders, so my suggestion is to go ahead with the 12 inches and do a test burn, just lay the steel inside the tank dont weld it yet, open your vents up all the way and do temp checks inside the tank and see what yah get. just because joe blow says he has a 500 gallon and he has his plates at 12 inches doesnt make it right, joe blow might not know what hes talking about. your gonna need some good draw on your stacks to pull the air and smoke through. for example the formula said i needed twice as much air intake as what i made, but i can close it halfway and still maintain temps from 350 to 400 easy. so basically the formula is a guideline. all smokers are different because those operating them are different. Wish i could help yah more, just try to read up as much as you can find and make your decisions on that. all i would say is to make dual exhaust stacks and make sure you have plenty of intake as you can always close them a little if needed._________________Patio Smoker GrillMy Smoker Grill build

Hillbilly, your cooker is looking real nice. Looks great with the vertical sitting on there. Did you notice any change in the way it cooked?

KAM, You and the family ok? did you get any damage?

Ty KAM, i havnt used the upright yet i still have a few pieces of metal to put in the bottom to cover some holes, i blocked it off for that cook.

Hillbilly, not to bad The only Pecan tree I had intact from Rita gave way to Ike the top of it landed on my work shop as far as rain it was a fairly dry storm so not much flooding in my area. But some lost all over here in Orange county Tx. As well as Galveston and the Bolivar pennisula and they have my prayers as well as any one else affected by this.

That's good to hear, we sent 8 line crews to Texas yesterday to help restore power.

Thanks Hillbilly. I am telling you and please tell your people thanks so much for the tireless work and effort you all put into these restorations. There is a lot of help out there that help in other ways but nothing is more comforting than to see line trucks working an area that has been destroyed it gives people hope. I know when you and others go to these places its rough no fancy motels or steady meals you are displaced from family and friends as well so thank you again for all that yall do.

I told yah wrong KAM I found out this morning we sent those crews to Kentucky, apparently they got hit hard from Ike also, long ways from the coast, lol. but yeah its tiring work, i worked here in town when Fay came through Jacksonville several weeks ago and worked a 100 hours of overtime in a weeks time. I appreciate you words KAM, we dont get noticed until a disaster hits, but were always out working through the night restoring people's power as they sleep unnoticed most of the time. Thanks again. Steve_________________Patio Smoker GrillMy Smoker Grill build